Coat
PeriodCirca 1920 - 1925
Place MadePossibly New Jersey, U.S.A.
MediumSilk velvet, metallic silk brocade
Dimensions41.5 in. (105.4 cm)
ClassificationsCostume, Women's
Credit LineMuseum Collection
Object number2003.517
DescriptionA woman's cocoon style coat of deep goldenrod yellow silk velvet with a deep cape shawl collar, open fron, long straight sleeves, and padded shoulders. The coat is fully lined, including the sleeves, with a silk and metallic brocade with a woven stylized Art Deco rose pattern in shades of pale pink, tan, and gold.Curatorial RemarksThis deceptively simple coat relies on color and drape for its sophistication. The loose fit and deep shawl collar point to the coat's date of manufacture in the first half of the 1920s. After mid-decade, women's fashions gradually returned to a more fitted silhouette rather than the severe drop waist and columnar silhouette so popular in the first half of the decade. The coat would have been worn over a fashionable evening or special occasion gown. The coat's lining is striking, and the woven pink and gold brocade features a bold stylized full-blown rose pattern clearly influenced by the Art Deco style of the time period. The gown has no tags or markings and may have been made locally, perhaps in Monmouth County, by a dressmaker whose skill and talent enabled her to replicate up-to-the-minute styles of the day.
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